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Thistle, is not the last in the line of Zee-Captains, as successful as she was, curiosity was the downfall of her. Just like the previous philosopher in her line, Ylvanna. See, it happened very late into her Zee-faring life she heard too many tales of the Elder Continent not to seek it out. She was not prepared, however. The water and the air when zailing towards the Elder Continet was too much for her boat to handle. The boat was seen sinking by someone at Adam's Way and she was never heard from again. Three years later, back in Fallen London, the son of Garrid and Thistle was of age, and as previously decided, took to the Zee.
Thistly, however, before she died had quite an adventure. Two very notable ztories of hers were tales from the curious isle of Visage and an odd encounter surrounding the Empire of Hands.
Thistle made most of her money by shipping things back and forth to Fallen London. She would sail east and pick up some Sphinx Stones from the Salt Lions and then some Clay Men from Polythreme and ship them back to Fallen London for a large profit. It was because of this she was able to complete the map she desired of the Unterzee, though some places were still recommended to be avoided.
One of the strangest places she visited was that of Visage. An island where strange rituals happen and everyone is identified by what mask they wear. Upon disembarking on the island she was asked if she wanted to wear a frog, bat or locust mask. The frog was a visitor who was clumsy but wanted to learn of the local ways, the Locust was a visitor searching for profit and the Bat was not to be worn by anyone in their right mind as they were spies and the like.
On this island, Thistle wore the Frog and hopped her way clumsily around the town fitting in greatly. At one point she tells of a strange ritual she observed where people flocked to the right ear of the giant head adorning the island. She could not fully understand what happened but it was then that she knew the Gods existed.
After successfully gaining knowledge at Visage, she explains that she gained a more powerful mask and out of respect for the locals, refused to exclaim what it was. Though I suspect she refused to mention it because Visage was now a part of her and her higher status deems her to not need to explain such things to us lowly Frogs. Her sanity was never quite the same after her initial trip out at Zee.
The other tales she tells is a strange one that after visiting the Empire of Hands, she surveyed all of the surrounding islands for a complicated port report and then went to see the inhabitants of the main island. She tells that all of the inhabitants were apes. She also tells that the high chief of the island offered to buy her souls. She knew there was more to the town, though considered it not at the top of her priority to find out.
Upon returning to Fallen London she was summoned to this very university to attend a lecture on the Empire of Hands by a 'delightful adventuress'. After the lecture, the adventuress enquired if she might use Thistle's ship to get back to the Empire of Hands with her companion as she had heard that Thistle knew the way. Thistle agreed.
When they reached the Empire of Hands, the delightful adventurer disembarked and payed for the voyage as well as her companion offering a thank you and revealing that they were a rogue clay-man. A dangerous sort that would never have been allowed on the ship had Thistle known. Thistle spent some time then on an island and leaves a journal entry of a strange occurrence thereafter of visiting one of the hot springs and relaxing for an afternoon.
Thistle heard some giggling, assuming it was to her naked form she covered herself and looked around to find a small child, hunched over like one of the chimpanzees on the island. She had clearly grown up here and thought it would be funny to steal Thistle's clothes. She ran into the forest and Thistle gave chase. After some altercation and yelling, Thistle tells that she was only able to retrieve a single sock from the child before they escaped through the trees. She returned to the boat wearing only the one sock, and laughter roared from her ship-deck. At least she had raised their spirits. It was not too long after this that Thistle met her demise.
It is nice that we can look upon Thistle's journey and know her as a character and personality. She existed and became far more real for this than some of the other stoic entries of the other Zee-Captains. Zerred, for example, Thistle's child and the next Zee Captain only wrote stunted journal entries and did not last long at Zee. His ztory, in fact, was quite a terrible one.
To Be Continued...
---Howard Sterling, Chronicler of the Fallen London University
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